Documenting the Social Cost of Unemployment

[Excerpt] In the commercial press, unemployment figures, are frequently cited and there are periodic human interest stories about the unemployed. But rarely are the causes of plant closings analyzed and linked to the profound and terrible impact they have on the communities that have nurtured these same corporations for generations. Costs, profits, and industrial development are perceived in narrow corporate terms, not in their full relationship to our society

Debate: Worker Ownership: A Tactic for Labor

[Excerpt] Two years ago Taylor Forge, a subsidiary of Gulf + Western, I closed. I had worked there for almost eight years as a production I machinist, and I was Grievance Chairman of United Steelworkers Local 8787. During the last two years before the doors shut, G + W I had demanded concessions as a trade-off for the possibility of job security. By that time, through our own research, we knew we were victims of G + W\u27s milking strategy. Concessions wouldn\u27t have saved jobs. They would have just increased the demoralization and financial strain on our members as the place went down. We didn\u27t grant concessions. The factory died department by department and order by order, led by a smart-ass company accountant who was hated by his own management team as much as by the workers. It was common to hear on the floor, as workers watched the source of their income and pride collapse, We could run this better ourselves without them. When you looked at the probable 20% profit rate that G + W expected from Taylor Forge, the policy for maintenance and inventory geared to draining rather than maintaining, the enormous morale problems, and the incredible mismanagement contrasted to the skill,commitment and; knowledge of a veteran work force—workers\u27 capacity to run it better wasn\u27t an idea that was out of the question. Certainly difficult, but not impossible. But this was an option that neither my local nor myself knew much about at the time

Broadening The Arena for Participation & Control

[Excerpt] Andy Banks and Jack Metzgar have made a critically important contribution to untangling the concepts of participation and cooperation, in making the case for labor to be aggressive in areas historically reserved for management and to do so in a way that builds the organizing model of unionism. The concepts of participation and cooperation have been brought to the bargaining table in a way similar to ESOPs (Employee Stock Ownership Plans). Rather than recoil and withdraw from the discussion, the authors provide us with an approach that can effectively counter frequently narrow and self-serving management objectives with a program that furthers labor\u27s interests

Expanding the Fight Against Shutdowns

[Excerpt] The Midwest Center for Labor Research has been involved, in both direct and secondary ways, in fighting dozens of plant closings. We\u27ve studied similar efforts of labor-community coalitions around the country, beginning with the Ecumenical Coalition\u27s fight to save Youngstown Sheet & Tube in 1977. We also have several years\u27 experience in building community-based economic development projects on Chicago\u27s West Side and in Northwest Indiana. This article argues that, as the crisis of manufacturing has deepened, the fight against shutdowns has accumulated a rich mine of experience and insight upon which it is now possible to wage a series of more effective struggles. It argues that, while fighting shutdowns on one front, labor must take the lead in building diverse local coalitions engaged in systematic efforts to retain and create jobs in the community. This is not only essential for immediate objectives, but can provide an opportunity for labor to begin to mount an aggressive political and economic offensive in the broad public interest

Building the Bridge to the High Road

Building the Bridge to the High Road takes a hard, critical look at economic, political and social reality. While rejecting traditional redistributionist, socialist, social democratic and neo-liberal capitalist prescriptions, Dan Swinney instead proposes a "High Road" strategy that sounds at times radically left, at other times radically right. The truth is that the High Road strategy is a synthesis, adopting the best practices of competing ideology-based strategies. Forged by research and study, tempered by wide and deep experience, the High Road offers a plausible solution to the malaise of late industrial society. Swinney's work has centered on the United States but has global applicability

Creating a Manufacturing Career Path System in Cook County

Cook County manufacturers create more than 10,500 new or replacement jobs annually -- jobs generally offering good wages and benefits. But Cook County's education and training system does not provide adequate numbers of skilled people to fill those jobs, even though large numbers of area residents, particularly youth and those living in our poorer communities, are eager for opportunities for work.All told, there are some 404,000 manufacturing jobs in Cook County. All of them are being put at risk by our failure to ensure that regional manufacturers can count on finding workers with the right skills to fill job openings. How we close this and other gaps in our workforce education and training system will determine whether or not we will retain, sustain and develop the tremendous power of our manufacturing sector. Cook County faces a crisis in training and education for our manufacturing economy. We have important decisions to make

Social Economy? Solidarity Economy? Exploring the Implications of Conceptual Nuance for Acting in a Volatile World

Presented at the First International CIRIEC Conference on the Social Economy, October 2007. This paper was the result of BALTA Project C6 - From Social Economy to Solidarity Economy: Changing Perspectives in a Volatile World (Phase Two).This paper suggests that the solidarity economy as a conceptual framework in progress may have significant theoretical and strategic implications for actors in the social economy. The distinct boundaries most social economy actors draw to set themselves apart from the private and public sectors shapes their perception of the terrain upon which action is viewed as either desirable or possible; the "third sector” is the primary locus of strategy and action. In contrast, the solidarity economy thrusts social economy actors into the spaces among and between the three economic sectors and inserts reciprocity as the dominant animating driver, creating a space for expanding solidarity. Case studies from Montreal and Chicago serve as lenses through which the implications of both conceptual frameworks are explored.BC-Alberta Social Economy Research Alliance (BALTA) ; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC

The State of Illinois Manufacturing

The strength of the manufacturing sector is fundamental to the overall economic performance of Illinois and the U.S. as a whole. The manufacturing sector in Illinois create large numbers of jobs that pay high wages to workers, purchases more goods and services from within the state than any other sector, and constitutes a main component of the state export economy. For these and other reasons, manufacturing needs be at the center of all government discussions on economic policy.The Center for Labor and Community Research (CLCR) was commissioned by the Illinois Manufacturers' Association to analyze the condition of the Illinois manufacturing sector. We found that Illinois manufacturing is essential to Illinois' economy, and although it is among the top manufacturing states in the country, it faces a number of challenges. This report demonstrates why and how Illinois manufacturing matters, explains the current challenges it faces, and recommends actions to overcome some of these challenges. In addition to looking at manufacturing as a whole, this report looks at four key manufacturing sectors, or clusters, that together account for 64% of manufacturing employment in the state. These are the metals, electrical, printing, and food manufacturing sectors.A few key findings that CLCR uncovered in this study include the following: Manufacturing is vital to the state's economy and workers. Manufacturing exports create significant employment opportunities in Illinois, and the state's manufacturing workers are the most productive in the nation by far.Like other U.S. states, Illinois faces increasing competition from low-wage producers in the developing world as well as from highly skilled producers in developed countries. In order to remain competitive into the future, the sector requires increased investments in its infrastructure and workers and an improved workforce development system in order to increase the value-added component of their products.The Illinois manufacturing sector needs a "High Road" partnership with government and labor to increase investment in infrastructure and workforce development, to support the sector by creating specialized service centers that provide assistance to Illinois companies, and to effectively using public subsidies to reward and assist those companies that are pursuing High Road strategies of innovation and development

Building the Bridge to the High Road: Expanding Participation and Democracy in the Economy to Build Sustainable Communities

Describes the evolution of the Center for Labor and Community Research from Swinney’s 1970s practice as a shop floor labor organizer and toward a realization that changes in overall business structure had destroyed the stable environment in which redistributive labor demands had much promise. The result is the proposal for a more broadly inclusive organization of labor, business and community elements toward s “high road” economy through instruments like employee buy-outs and a focus on high value added products.Center for Labor and Community Research (clcr.org), founded in 1982 as the Midwest Center for Labor Research